1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to impact absorbing vehicle seats. More specifically, the invention is a vehicle seat apparatus for absorbing different types of forces, shocks, and vibrations commonly encountered in vehicle accidents and sudden hard braking of a vehicle.
2. Description of Related Art
A number of practices and apparatuses have been devised for absorbing different types of forces, shocks, and vibrations commonly encountered in different types of vehicle accidents and sudden hard braking of a vehicle.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. Re. 35,572 issued on Jul. 29, 1997 to Lloyd et al. discloses a seat assembly for a motor vehicle that includes an air suspension system for isolating the occupant of the seat from shock, vibration, and inertial forces directed along both vertical and horizontal axes. A base plate is mounted to the floor of the vehicle and supports first and second pairs of sleeve bearings on opposed sides of a box-like housing. The housing is attached to a pair of guide rods which cooperate with the sleeve bearings to provide fore and aft movement of the housing. Springs operating in cooperation with a first horizontally disposed air bag serves to dampen out inertial forces on the vehicle seat. The seat itself is supported atop a vertically oriented air spring and a plurality of hydraulic vibration dampeners that tend to cushion vertically directed forces acting upon the seat and its occupant.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,275,914, issued on Jun. 30, 1981 to Holweg et al., discloses an arresting device in a longitudinally adjustable guide rail assembly for motor vehicle seats. The device includes a shaft rotatably supported in a stationary bearing plate and driven by a stationary electromotor. The driving pinion of the electromotor is in mesh with an intermediate gear which is supported for free rotation on the shaft. A coupling disk is supported for joint rotation on the shaft and for an axial displacement between the bearing plate and the face of an intermediate gear.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,292,179, issued on Mar. 8, 1994 to Forget, discloses a fixed plate supporting a vehicle seat that is secured to longitudinal adjusting slides. The fixed plate supports a rotary intermediate plate via a first ball bearing and a cover rigidly connected to the fixed plate and supported at the rotary intermediate plate via a second ball bearing. The assembly is centered on the two ball bearings.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,328,234, issued on Jul. 12, 1994 to Daniel et al., discloses a rotatable seat that includes a horizontal seat portion, an upright back portion, and a structure for rotating the seat portion and/or back portion in reaction to an impact from the side of the vehicle to place the rotatable seat between the occupant and the intruding side of the vehicle.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,344,204, issued on Sep. 6, 1994 to Liu, discloses a safe driver seat unit that includes a seat supported on two rails by four ball bearings mounted in the seat legs, and a arrangement wherein an electromagnetic controller locks the seat in a normal position. In a collision, sensors will turn on power to unlock the seat so that springs may move the seat backwardly.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,605,372, issued on Feb. 25, 1997 to Al-Abdullateef, discloses an automotive safety seat that reduces g-loads imparted to an occupant during a collision by absorbing some of the energy of impact. Kinetic energy is converted to potential energy with the elevation of the seat and its occupant and the compression of springs.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,743,591, issued on Apr. 28, 1998 to Tame, discloses a vehicle seat which includes a seat cushion assembly and a hydraulic actuator. A first mounting assembly is constructed and arranged to mount the seat cushion assembly on a vehicle floor, and a second mounting assembly is provided which is constructed and arranged to mount a seat back cushion assembly on the seat cushion assembly.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,829,827, issued on Nov. 3, 1998 to Schaper et al., discloses a passenger seat that has a seat member and a backrest. A first side air bag is integrated into the seat member and the back rest for lateral impact protection in an accident.
German Patent No. 2,112,443, published Sep. 23, 1971, discloses a vehicle passenger safety system which has the seat belt anchorages and/or the seating rear anchorage points attached through energy absorbing components so that each passenger describes a predetermined path within the compartment with an increasing braking force until suitable padding brings the passenger to a safe stop.
German Patent No. 2,060,951, published Jun. 22, 1972, discloses a car seat that is mounted on a spring loaded support to absorb impact forces. The support is braced by either mechanical springs or hydraulic shock absorbers, and converts impact forces into a smooth recoil to protect the occupants in the event of a collision.
Great Britain Patent No. 2,087,226A, published May 26, 1982, discloses a shock absorbing seat that is formed by two connected portions. The shorter rear portion is a flat metal sheet bent upwardly at the back and riveted to the rear cross-member of a tubular support frame. The front portion includes a metal sheet which is "waisted" in plan view and curved upwardly from the rear in side elevation to a smoothly curved peak from which it is bent downwardly as a flat vertical panel. The panel is riveted along its lower edge to the front cross-member of the support frame.
Japan Patent No. 57-138432, published Aug. 26, 1982, discloses a seat in a vehicle for construction machinery. A pair of springs are provided across a portal strut and vertical plate, and a shock absorber is pivotally connected to a horizontally supported frame and the strut.
The prior art fails to teach a practice or an apparatus which is flexible in movement and effective for absorbing different types of forces, shocks, and vibrations commonly encountered in different types of vehicle accidents and sudden hard braking of a vehicle. None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.